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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I actually didn't see the twist in this book coming, which is a plus. It was recommended by a coworker who compared it to "You" by Caroline Kepnes. While it can be slow and sometimes repetitive, the protagonist is interesting enough, and the plot keeps you interested for the most part. Aside from it sometimes getting a little boring, I enjoyed it enough to suggest it to anyone who likes books that take a little while to get to the point.
IDK WHAT I WAS EXPECTING BUT IT WAS NOT THAT. I loved this book so much! Ava’s character was so complex and wonderful. The office humor was so good and I just loved how this portrayed grief and friendship in a millennial world
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ava works as an engineer at STÄDA, an IKEA-like corporation, designing storage boxes. Her life is square and meticulous, as she tiptoes around the hole left by a car accident that killed both her parents and her fiancé. But her careful compartmentalizing is shaken up when the company's new Head of Product, Mat, bursts into the business and into her life, and despite herself she can't help but fall for his buzzwordy charms.
This book really surprised me. It is a tender examination of grief, a shrewd workplace satire, a takedown of toxic masculinity, and somehow sort of a thriller, all while making me laugh out loud several times. Ava is plausibly bisexual, and this book's comments on the dilemma of being attracted to men while needing to sort of simplify yourself to make sense to them really hit home for me (this is obviously a generalisation but accurate in my experience).
The observation that so much of corporate success is repackaging basic icebreakers and saying unfamiliar combinations of words confidently feels so true to life even as it's satirised, and I enjoyed recognising facets of my own experience of corporate life in here. It's well-plotted and pacy and I did not expect myself to tear through it in the way I did. There was a twist I predicted, but it was executed well and I think I'd have been disappointed if the book hadn't gone there.
This is the first time I've read a book by two writers where it's not split into two distinct voices (e.g. two character points-of-view). It's not possible to tell who wrote what, and I think it makes for an impressive debut, because there's some built-in quality control in that collaborative process, before the manuscript even gets to an editor. Why don't more people write books like this?
This book really surprised me. It is a tender examination of grief, a shrewd workplace satire, a takedown of toxic masculinity, and somehow sort of a thriller, all while making me laugh out loud several times. Ava is plausibly bisexual, and this book's comments on the dilemma of being attracted to men while needing to sort of simplify yourself to make sense to them really hit home for me (this is obviously a generalisation but accurate in my experience).
The observation that so much of corporate success is repackaging basic icebreakers and saying unfamiliar combinations of words confidently feels so true to life even as it's satirised, and I enjoyed recognising facets of my own experience of corporate life in here. It's well-plotted and pacy and I did not expect myself to tear through it in the way I did. There was a twist I predicted, but it was executed well and I think I'd have been disappointed if the book hadn't gone there.
This is the first time I've read a book by two writers where it's not split into two distinct voices (e.g. two character points-of-view). It's not possible to tell who wrote what, and I think it makes for an impressive debut, because there's some built-in quality control in that collaborative process, before the manuscript even gets to an editor. Why don't more people write books like this?
This is well written and seems objectively interesting but isn’t for me.
I loved Ava, but that was stupid. I will admit to having enjoy the book's climax.
Extremely fun and creative. I loved how fast paced it was and easy to read. Gave me similar vibes to “I have some questions for you.”
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed this novel, which starts off as an office rom-com but takes a weird, dark turn. Ava works as an engineer at Stada, designing modern, IKEA-style furniture. She is hard at work on her passion project, A Very Nice Box, when her ordered world is disrupted by Mat, her new boss. Mat is charming, talkative, and eager to connect with Ava. Despite Ava’s reservations, the two quickly become friends and then, fall in love. But Mat is more than just a nice guy; he’s harboring some dark secrets and a life that is more connected to Ava’s than she knows. I loved the twists in this novel, and was glad to discover it was more than just a quirky romance. I also loved the workplace humor — the jabs at self-care fairs and office parties felt very familiar. Ava’s stilted character evolves through the story, first because of Mat and then because of her own decisions, which I appreciated.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was extremely slow to start but the the ending was amazing. Kind of silly writing but a real page turner once it gets going.